We’ve asked FWMoA staff the hardest question you can ask art museum people: so, what is your favorite artwork currently on display? As “art museum people”, we often get asked about our favorite artists, artworks, and the art we choose to hang on our own walls. Since not all of our staff are front-end, and not all of them write for the blog, this series gives everyone a chance to get to know them, too. Taking advantage of our rotating exhibitions of artworks, from painted portraits to sculpted bronzes, FWMoA staff from all departments are choosing artworks that enthrall and enchant them; or, in other words, playing favorites.
Meet Brit Micho, Associate Curator of Exhibitions! Writing text and working on curating her first exhibitions at FWMoA for the past six months, she finally found some time to wander the galleries. Her current favorite: a diptych by photographer Dawoud Bey.
Dawoud Bey, American b. 1953. Horace and Shomari. Polacolor dye dispersion film process, 1993. Gift of the Lincoln Financial Group, 2009.11.a & .b. Image courtesy of FWMoA.
Q: What is the first thing you noticed about this artwork? What drew you to this particular piece?
A: Everything about these two photographs drew my interest, from the bold contrast and color palette to the extreme detail, composition choices, and medium. Bey captures these sitters, who stare into the viewer’s eyes, in a powerful and emotional lighting. Interpreting what emotion they are meant to convey is entirely up to the viewer.
Q: Would you hang this artwork in your home? Why or why not?
A: Honestly, yes. They are beautiful and unique polaroid photographs that have a deep resonance with me; although, it would be more fitting if they were members of my family or my friends.
Q: What does this artwork mean to you?
A: I think it perfectly encapsulates complex representation of young people in the 90s. The title and the subject matter only tell you the names of these individuals, with no other clues to their identity. It feels like Bey is making a genuine connection with the sitters, who might otherwise be overlooked by photographers.
This format is interesting because they are 20 x 24 inch instant Polaroid, not printed film. The camera itself is 6ft high by 5ft wide, weighing in at about 200lbs. Typically it would require two people to operate, so it was nothing like the small 3×3 inch portable Polaroid we are used to seeing. Truly impressive technology.
Q: Why did you choose to work in an art museum?
A: I love being surrounded by art and sharing art and history with others. Being able to curate shows that can excite people about art, especially in a historical context, is why I love what I do.
Q: What has been your favorite exhibition at FWMoA during your employment?
A: The show that had the biggest impression on me was Roland Rickett’s Invisible Forces. The sheer monumentality of the installation was sublime and overwhelmed the viewer in such a wonderful way.
Check out Movement: Black Art in Focus at the FWMoA through March 2nd, 2025.